The band is sharing previously unreleased song “Fascinating” to benefit global organization @mercycorps ‘ Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery efforts in the Bahamas. Peter, Mike, and Michael recorded the song in 2004 at Nassau’s Compass Point Studios.

You can stream the song for free on Bandcamp and download it for a minimum donation of $2 or an amount of your choosing. Proceeds will go directly to Mercy Corps’ emergency response and recovery efforts in the Bahamas.

]]>Download of Live EP: Chicago ’95 #Monster25https://www.remhq.com/news/download-of-live-ep-chicago-95-monster25/
Fri, 13 Sep 2019 11:30:03 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41347Today, in honor of #Monster25, we’re happy to release an advance live EP recorded in Chicago in 1995. Stream and download the live tracks now and pre-save #Monster25.

]]>Listen to Mike on the Georgia Bulldogs Extra Podcasthttps://www.remhq.com/news/listen-to-mike-on-the-georgia-bulldogs-extra-podcast/
Fri, 13 Sep 2019 02:28:15 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41344Continued]]>From GBEX Podcast: “Is there anything more Athens than R.E.M. and Georgia football? Both are rolled into one on the latest Bulldogs Extra Podcast as Mike Mills, bassist and much more for famed Athens rock artists R.E.M. joins the show. A big Georgia Bulldog fan, Mills gives his take on the current state of the Bulldogs, the job of Kirby Smart and his trip to Vanderbilt two weeks ago to watch the game. He also dives into the history of R.E.M., what he’s been up to in the eight years since the group called it quits, and what acts he’s currently working with such as The Baseball Project and A Night of Georgia Music, a Concerto he wrote and will play that highlights music throughout Georgia.”

You
can stream the song for free on Bandcamp and download it for a minimum donation
of $2 or an amount of your choosing. Proceeds will go directly to Mercy Corps’ emergency response and
recovery efforts
in the Bahamas.

About
the Song:

“Fascinating” first appeared on the original master of 2001’s Reveal before being cut last minute. It was Michael’s favorite song from the Reveal sessions according to Peter’s recollection, as chronicled in David Buckley’s R.E.M. biography, Fiction.

“It’s really beautiful,” Mike told Buckley. “It has a flute, oboe
arrangement, but it made the record too long… and something had to go.” The
track was re-recorded in Nassau for 2004’s Around the Sun, but the lush
ballad ultimately didn’t jibe with that album. Now this poignant outtake
finally finds its fitting moment, as a means to aid the country where the band
enjoyed over two months of creative retreat.

“I
have been fortunate to spend many weeks working and playing in the Bahamas,
making friends and lots of music there,” reflects Mills. “It breaks my heart to
see the damage wrought by Hurricane Dorian. Please help us and Mercy Corps do
what we can to alleviate the suffering caused by this catastrophe.”

Hurricane
Dorian hammered the Bahamas’ northwest islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco for 48
hours in early September 2019, causing widespread destruction and leaving
76,000 people homeless and in need of lifesaving assistance. Mercy Corps mobilized
immediately and are committed to reaching 3,000 families with emergency kits
including mosquito nets, tarps, jerrycans, water-purifying tablets and rope.

“The
Bahamas faces a long road to recovery after this devastating hurricane,” says
Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps. “We’re grateful to have R.E.M. in our
global community of humanitarians, sharing their song with the world to help
the people of the Bahamas recover and build back even stronger.”

In
2005, following a visit to Mercy Corps’ Hurricane Katrina recovery program in
New Orleans, Stipe released a six-song EP that raised nearly $100K for Mercy
Corps’ relief efforts along the United States Gulf Coast. The band also generously
supported Mercy Corps’ Katrina relief efforts.

UPDATE: Mike also wanted us to draw your attention to a Go Fund Me page for Hope for Hope Town –funds from this effort will go TO HOPE TOWN & THE OTHER NORTHERN BAHAMIAN ISLANDS… HOPE TOWN, GUANA, MAN-O-WAR, ETC which have been devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Thank you for your support!

]]>Revival: Celebrating Georgia’s Historic Theatres Concert This Friday in Atlantahttps://www.remhq.com/news/revival-celebrating-georgias-historic-theatres-concert-this-friday-in-atlanta/
Wed, 11 Sep 2019 18:04:42 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41338Continued]]>Just a reminder that there are two big shows coming up in Atlanta this month featuring members of R.E.M (Bill & Mike).

The first is the Revival benefit concert at the The Fox Theatre on Friday, Sept. 13, which will celebrate Georgia’s historic theatres. The all-star cast includes Drive-By Truckers, Drivin N Cryin, Michelle Malone, and our very own Bill Berry who will play with Winterville, GA, band Dodd & the Councilmen.

Later in the month on September 29, Mike Mills will perform “A Night of Georgia Music” with violinist Robert McDuffie and pianist Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones) at the Atlanta Symphony Hall on night one of the four-date tour.

]]>Scott Litt Talks About His New Monster Mixhttps://www.remhq.com/news/scott-litt-talks-about-his-new-monster-mix/
Thu, 05 Sep 2019 22:57:26 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41335R.E.M.’s longtime producer Scott Litt discusses his new remix of Monster, created 25 years after the album’s original release.Watch in full: https://found.ee/rem-monster25-scottlitt-yt-r

]]>MONSTER 25TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 1, 2019 #Monster25https://www.remhq.com/news/monster-25th-anniversary-reissue-set-for-release-november-1-2019-monster25/
Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:51:06 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41321Continued]]>Craft Recordings is excited to announce a 25th anniversary reissue of R.E.M.’s acclaimed ninth album, Monster. Remastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, the title will be available on various physical formats, as well as digitally, on November 1. A five-CD, one-Blu-ray deluxe box set will include the original album, a special 2019 remix from Monster producer Scott Litt, a CD of previously unreleased demos from the album and a complete live 1995 performance captured in Chicago. The accompanying Blu-ray will offer Monster in both hi-resolution audio and 5.1 Surround Sound, as well as a host of video content: the 90-minute film Road Movie, which documents R.E.M.’s 1995 tour, and all six music videos from Monster. The collection will be packaged in a five-and-a-half-inch portfolio book, featuring liner notes by journalist Matthew Perpetua—with new insight from band members—and archival photographs. An expanded edition of Monster, offering the original album and the 2019 remixed version, will also be available on two 180-gram vinyl LPs or two CDs, both featuring reimagined cover art by longtime R.E.M. designer Chris Bilheimer. The remastered album will also be available as a standalone 180-gram vinyl LP, with Bilheimer’s original Monster art.

Digital editions of the album will mirror the complete deluxe audio content—remastered, remixed and live— available across all streaming and download platforms. Digital breakouts will also offer the remastered and remixed album in hi-resolution (88.1/24). An advance single release of “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Remix)” is available to stream or download today: listen and pre-save the album here. In this remix, original Monster producer Scott Litt offers a completely fresh take on the song, giving fans a new way to experience the single which launched Monster around its original release.

When Monster was released in September 1994, the
members of R.E.M. were at a crossroads in their career. Singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry were decompressing from the
massive commercial and critical success of 1991’s Out of Time and 1992’s Automatic
for the People. In just a few years, the Athens, GA, four-piece had become
one of the biggest, most recognizable bands in the world, thanks to hits like
“Losing My Religion,” “Man on the Moon” and “Everybody Hurts.” It had also been
six years since the group had toured. By the time that work began on Monster, they were itching to end their
self-imposed hiatus and get back on the road. The band was also looking for a
sonic shake-up. While R.E.M.’s last two albums were full of ballads, acoustic
rock songs and intricate arrangements, the group was ready to record something grittier,
brasher and highly playable on stage. In his liner notes, Perpetua writes that Monster “had no precedent in the
band’s catalog,” adding that R.E.M had “never been this distorted and
dirty, or this glam or this flirty.” Buck recalls, “We were trying to feel like a different
band … We wanted to get away from who we were.”

The group was also reeling from the strange nature of
celebrity and identity, and many of the songs in this album reflect that.
Perpetua notes, “There’s no question that the characters on Monster are all dealing with obsession
in some form or another, whether it’s the infatuated narrator of ‘Crush With Eyeliner,’
the lovelorn protagonist of ‘Strange Currencies,’ or the cackling supervillain
in ‘I Took Your Name.’” As dark as some of the subject matter is, though,
R.E.M. still infuses the songs with a dash of absurdity, irony and a humorous
wink.

Highlights off the album include the distortion-soaked first
single, “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” which plays off the farce of media and
marketing that pervaded Gen X pop-culture, while the catchy “Star 69” is a
detective story, based on the ‘90s phone service of the same name (a precursor
to caller ID). The second single, “Bang and Blame,” features Sonic Youth’s
Thurston Moore, as well as actress Rain Phoenix—whose brother, River, had
recently passed away and was Monster’sdedicatee. “Let Me In” is an ode to
Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who had died by suicide just months before. Mills,
who swapped his bass for Cobain’s guitar on the track, shares, “It’s Michael’s
cathartic release in response to the loss of a good friend and someone we all
felt creatively aligned with.”

The band’s new artistic direction proved to be a hit. Monster debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and would be certified
four-times Platinum in the U.S. Rolling
Stone offered this praise: “R.E.M.’s exceptional pop craftsmanship,
their luminous melodic inventions, their sense of mission—in short, everything
fundamental—are still there and shining more brightly than ever … Monster is one urgent-sounding
album, and that’s as it should be.” Following the release of the LP,
R.E.M. embarked on a yearlong tour, headlining amphitheaters and arenas around
the world. Though it was a commercially successful run, the group was plagued
with significant health issues, affecting each Stipe, Mills and Berry. The band
persevered and even composed and performed several new songs on that fateful Monster
tour, recording much of their 1996 follow-up album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi,
on the road.

In addition to having the chance to reflect on Monster, R.E.M. also had the opportunity
to revisit the album creatively with their longtime producer, Scott Litt. Litt,
who struggled with the original mix, recalls, “I had told the band through the
years that if there was ever a chance to take another shot at mixing the album,
I wanted to do it.” Now, 25 years later, he’s had the chance, and the results
are striking. On some songs, according to Perpetua, Litt’s work features “Entirely
different vocal takes and instrumental parts that were either buried or excised
from the original album mix.” Mills adds, “I think as he listened to it over
the years, he began to hear a different way to realize those songs.”
Ultimately, with this reissue, fans will not only have the opportunity to re-discover
Monster but also, perhaps, see the
album in a completely new light.

Having established a powerful legacy as one of the most
enduring and essential rock bands in popular music
history, R.E.M. pioneered the alt-rock movement of the ‘90s,
influencing the likes of Nirvana, Pavement and Pearl Jam. Formed in 1980, the
group enjoyed an extraordinary three-decade-long run of creative vitality and
multi-platinum sales before amicably disbanding in 2011. Despite great success,
the band members never lost track of their core values—remaining outspoken in
their views about political, social and environmental issues, and never
wavering when it came to artistic integrity. Throughout the course of their
career together—an immense legacy which approaches a 40-year tenure in 2020—R.E.M. released
a total of 15 studio albums, won three GRAMMY® Awards and were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Click here to stream “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? (Remix)” and pre-save the album.

TRACK LISTINGS

DELUXE BOX SET

Disc 1 (CD) – Monster (Remastered)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Crush With Eyeliner

King Of Comedy

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

Star 69

Strange Currencies

Tongue

Bang And Blame

I Took Your Name

Let Me In

Circus Envy

You

Disc 2 (CD) – Monster (Demos)

Pete’s Hit

Uptempo Mo Distortion

Uptempo Ricky

Harlan County with Whistling

Lost Song

AM Boo

Mike’s Gtr

Sputnik 1 Remix

Black Sky 4-14

Revolution 4-21

Rocker with vocal

Time Is On Mike’s Side

1Experiment 4-28 no vocal

Highland Fling 4-29

Cranky 4-29

Disc 3 (CD) – Monster (Remixed)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Remix)

Crush With Eyeliner (Remix)

King Of Comedy (Remix)

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (Remix)

Star 69 (Remix)

Strange Currencies (Remix)

Tongue (Remix)

Bang And Blame (Remix)

I Took Your Name (Remix)

Let Me In (Remix)

Circus Envy (Remix)

You (Remix)

Disc 4 (CD) – Live in Chicago 6/3/95 –
Monster 1995 Tour (Part One)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Circus Envy

Crush With Eyeliner

Near Wild Heaven

Welcome To The Occupation

Undertow

I Took Your Name

Strange Currencies

Me In Honey

Revolution

Tongue

Man On The Moon

Country Feedback

Monty Got A Raw Deal

Disc 5 (CD) – Live in Chicago 6/3/95 –
Monster 1995 Tour (Part Two)

Losing My Religion

You

Departure

Orange Crush

Get Up

Star 69

Let Me In

Everybody Hurts

So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)

Pop Song 89

Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I
Feel Fine)

Disc 6 (Blu-ray)

Monster – 5.1 Surround Sound

Monster – Hi-Resolution Audio

Road Movie (concert film)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (music video)

Crush With Eyeliner (music video)

Star 69 (music video)

Strange Currencies (music video)

Tongue (music video)

Bang And Blame (music video)

EXPANDED 2-CD

Disc 1 – Monster (Remastered)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Crush With Eyeliner

King Of Comedy

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

Star 69

Strange Currencies

Tongue

Bang And Blame

I Took Your Name

Let Me In

Circus Envy

You

Disc 2 – Monster (Remixed)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Remix)

Crush With Eyeliner (Remix)

King Of Comedy (Remix)

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (Remix)

Star 69 (Remix)

Strange Currencies (Remix)

Tongue (Remix)

Bang And Blame (Remix)

I Took Your Name (Remix)

Let Me In (Remix)

Circus Envy (Remix)

You (Remix)

EXPANDED 2-LP

Side A – Monster (Remastered)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Crush With Eyeliner

King Of Comedy

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

Star 69

Strange Currencies

Side B – Monster (Remastered)

Tongue

Bang And Blame

I Took Your Name

Let Me In

Circus Envy

You

Side C – Monster (Remixed)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Remix)

Crush With Eyeliner (Remix)

King Of Comedy (Remix)

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (Remix)

Star 69 (Remix)

Strange Currencies (Remix)

Side D – Monster (Remixed)

Tongue (Remix)

Bang And Blame (Remix)

I Took Your Name (Remix)

Let Me In (Remix)

Circus Envy (Remix)

You (Remix)

STANDARD 1-LP

Side A – Monster (Remastered)

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Crush With Eyeliner

King Of Comedy

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

Star 69

Strange Currencies

Side B – Monster (Remastered)

Tongue

Bang And Blame

I Took Your Name

Let Me In

Circus Envy

You

DELUXE DIGITAL ALBUM

“Disc 1” – Monster (Remastered)*

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Crush With Eyeliner

King Of Comedy

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

Star 69

Strange Currencies

Tongue

Bang And Blame

I Took Your Name

Let Me In

Circus Envy

You

“Disc 2” – Monster (Demos)

Pete’s Hit

Uptempo Mo Distortion

Uptempo Ricky

Harlan County with Whistling

Lost Song

AM Boo

Mike’s Gtr

Sputnik 1 Remix

Black Sky 4-14

Revolution 4-21

Rocker with vocal

Time Is On Mike’s Side

Experiment 4-28 no vocal

Highland Fling 4-29

Cranky 4-29

“Disc 3”– Monster (Remixed) *

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Remix)

Crush With Eyeliner (Remix)

King Of Comedy (Remix)

I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (Remix)

Star 69 (Remix)

Strange Currencies (Remix)

Tongue (Remix)

Bang And Blame (Remix)

I Took Your Name (Remix)

Let Me In (Remix)

Circus Envy (Remix)

You (Remix)

“Disc 4” – Live in Chicago 6/3/95 – Monster 1995 Tour

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

Circus Envy

Crush With Eyeliner

Near Wild Heaven

Welcome To The Occupation

Undertow

I Took Your Name

Strange Currencies

Me In Honey

Revolution

Tongue

Man On The Moon

Country Feedback

Monty Got A Raw Deal

Losing My Religion

You

Departure

Orange Crush

Get Up

Star 69

Let Me In

Everybody Hurts

So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)

Pop Song 89

Its The End Of The World As We Know It (And I
Feel Fine)

]]>R.E.M. Gets Here From Therehttps://www.remhq.com/news/r-e-m-gets-here-from-there/
Mon, 02 Sep 2019 15:33:50 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41314Atlanta Loop has an interesting read on the band and one of the more obscure references in an R.E.M. song… the little hamlet of Philomath, located in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, name-checked in “Can’t Get There From Here” from Fables Of The Reconstruction.

]]>Get Your Tickets for Revival: Celebrating Georgia’s Historic Theatres, Sept. 13thhttps://www.remhq.com/news/get-your-tickets-for/
Fri, 30 Aug 2019 02:42:14 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41309Continued]]>Update on the lineup for the REVIVAL show at The Fox Theatre on September 13th.

In addition to Drive-By Truckers, Drivin N Cryin, Dodd and the Councilmen ft. Bill Berry of R.E.M, Atlanta rocker Michelle Malone has just joined the bill. Read more about the show Celebrating Georgia’s Historic Theatres, ticket details, and the silent auction. Ticket info here: http://bit.ly/2ZkvkB0

Hope to see you there!

]]>Message from Peter About Janet Weiss’s Go Fund Mehttps://www.remhq.com/news/message-from-peter-about-janet-weisss-go-fund-me/
Tue, 27 Aug 2019 21:19:36 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41305Continued]]>Hey Everybody… here’s a message from Peter about good friend Janet Weiss who was in a serious car accident last month. If you can help out, please visit the link below:

“I wanted to let you all know about a Go Fund Me Page for Janet Weiss the former drummer for Sleater-Kinney,and current member of Quasi, who played at my wedding. She has recently been in a terrible car accident and faces a long road to recovery. Help out if you can. Thanks, Peter”

]]>ATL Collective to “Relive” Automatic For The People on August 10https://www.remhq.com/news/atl-collective-to-relive-automatic-for-the-people-on-august-10/
Tue, 30 Jul 2019 12:30:37 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41297Make your plans to join Atlanta music nonprofit ATL Collective on SAT 8/10 as they relive Automatic for the People at the Atlanta History Center. Their musical guests for this show are a collective of artists from Athens and ATL: Palace Doctor, Thayer Sarrano, Reuben Bidez,Aslyn, The Tin Man + many more.

It has recently been brought to my attention that somebody calling himself Peter Buck has been impersonating me on Twitter. There are a couple of legitimate Peter Bucks out there; one seems like a cool surfer dude and another owns the Subway sandwich chain. Neither of them has mentioned R.E.M. The particular person in question was relaying first-hand stories about the band, politics, etc. I personally didn’t read any of it, but friends did, and we issued a takedown order. To quote Richard M. Nixon “Let me make this perfectly clear”: I have never been on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, dating app, ad nauseam. The only online presence I have is through REMHQ. I have a headful of idiotic ideas and theories that I could bloviate upon all day long. I choose not to and would prefer that people don’t send out their idiotic ideas in place of mine… the actual, real Peter Buck.

]]>Learn About the Inspiration Behind “Bad Day” as Part of Craft Recordings’ Spin Class Serieshttps://www.remhq.com/news/learn-about-the-inspiration-behind-bad-day-as-part-of-craft-recordings-spin-class-series/
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 22:00:53 +0000https://www.remhq.com/?p=41291See the new 180-gram pressing of In Time: the Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in action, plus learn about the inspiration behind “Bad Day” and more, via Craft Recordings’ Spin Class series.

“I set out on this fantastic adventure, and it actually worked out,” former R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe says, a bit surprised himself. In this candid conversation, Stipe talks about who he became after his band got famous, why he decided to speak up about his sexuality, and what it was like to “fall between the lines” and to redefine masculinity. He tells Will and Seamus why he quit drugs and, later, social media, and what it could mean to take an interest in your health. Stipe believes that we’re in a time of great transition, and his own transformation is ongoing, fueled perhaps by one thing in particular: Vulnerability, he says, can contain an immense power…”